Desk with typewriter carrier



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 AP 3 M. DESK WITH TYPEWRITERCARRIER Filed Nov. 29, 1943 April 3, 1945. M. FOX

DESK WITH TYPEWRITER CARRIER Filed Nov. 29, 1945 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 UQR 17706 021- K ZZ// j 4/ April 3, 1945. M. FOX

DESK WITH TYPEWRITER CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 29, 1943 RK/eYFZZV j z W Patented Apr. 3, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE DESK wrrrn Trimaran clams.

Martin Fox, Chicago, IlL, assignor to The Seng Company, a corporation of Illinois g 7 Claims.

. This invention relates to ofilce desks having a typewriter compartment and provided with a In. ofllce desks of this-general character it is,

customary to. have the typewriter compartment at: one. side-of. the desk. spaced from, a bank or drawersat the other side, the compartment be ing provided with a door and having a carrier for supporting; the typewriter suspended within the compartment. The typewriter is usually fixed to a platform: which is hinged to a slide member so that it may be rolled into and, out of theacom partment. When extended. andraised to a hori zontalposition, theplatiorm is gripped in that position to provide, a firm writing support.

The primary. object of the; present. inventionis to provide improyedfmeans for holding thetype Writer platform in extended horizontal position, sothat it will be clamped firmly to the desk and will not rattle'during' the operation of.-. the. typewriter.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a strong channel-like slide which carries the typewriter platform,, and. to support thefslidelso that. it will not bedi'storted by the. weightof, a typewriter fixed. to the. platform.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved latch for locking the platform in depending vertical position. on the slide when the typewriter is rolled back into the compartment, and to provide-automatic means for releasing the lockwhen theslide is fully extended from the compartment; g

v The invention is illustrated in-a preferred embodi'ment in the accompanying drajwi-ngsin which- Figure 1' isa fragmentary plan viewwith the desk. top removed, taken as indicated: atL'linez. I l:

of Figure 2, andshowing apparatus. embodying;

the invention, withthe typewriter platiormzin extended horizontal position; Figure 2, a fragmenetar'y'verticall sectional view, taken as indicated at line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3, a fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus'shown in Figures 1 and 2 withdotted lines indicating the depending vertical position' of the typewriter which it assumes when in the typewriter compartment; Figure 4, an enlarged fragmentary sectional View, taken as indicated at line 4-4 of Figure 3;. Figure 5, a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken. as. indicated at line 5.5 of. Figure .41; and Figure 6,. an enlarged fragmentary sectional view; similarzto Fi ure 5: with. the counterbalancing mechanism removed to show the clamping. device.

In the embodiment illustrated. an. office desk I is provided with a compartment ,8 to housea typewriten- A. suitable door,.not shown, may be provided for the front. end of the compartment to complete. the closure when the typewriter is not. in use. .P1-eferably,:.one side wall. of. the'cc'm, partment is prcvidedwith a. fixed longitudinally extendinabar. 9 on which the. carrier is mounted and a parallel bar l8 affords a track for-archer onythe lower end of the carrier. s

Atthefro-nt. end. oi the compartment, a fixture H: isfirmly securedto the bar Sand isprovided withanti-friction rollers l2 to:- receive the. chan- I'lfilr'like' slidemember l3. As icest shownin Figures: l, andj-2, an upwardly extending track l4 ismounted on the bar 9: and its innerface provides a track for a top-roller 15. If desired, the member ltmaybe formed integrally with the fixture. IL.

. The-'sl-idefmember I3 is provided near its rear end with an upwardly extending standard. Hi to brace the slide member and prevent its distortion when the assembly is retracted into the compartment. The upper end of the-standard. has an extension I! which provides. a journal for theroller. l5 and the lower end of the standard hasan extension 18 toprovide a journal for the anti-friction roller I9.

A typewriter platform ifl-ishinged to the slide member I3 as indicated. at 2|, andhasnear. its free, end anupwardly-extendinggbracket 22. which affordsanadjustable anchorage 23 for a. counterloalancing torsion spring 24 which issecured. at its other end to thestandard l6.

As shown. in Figure 5, the underside of the platform. is provided with a catch 25 tube. en.- gaged' bya latch. 26- which is pivoted to the standard I6 at 21 and isurged into latching position by spring 28. As best shown in. Figures 4. and 5 the. latch is provided. with a lug 29 which. limits trier-movement of the; latch under the influence of thespring- 2&- bylengagementrWi-th the standard IS. The latch also has an upwardly extending arm 30 which will engage a stop 3| secured to the side wall of the compartment 8 beneath the fixture I l. 1

Thus itwill be understood that when the slide member I3 is fully extended to the position shown in Figure 4, the latch is automatically released and the typewriter platform 20 is free to swing ence of the counterbalancing spring 24.

upwardly to horizontal position under the influ- In returning the typewriter into the compartment, the typewriter platform is held in vertically depending position until the platform has been moved rearwardly a sufficient distance to clear the stop 3! and permit the latch to automatically reengage.

It will be seen that when the typewriter is moved back into retracted position in the com-' partment, it has a tendency to exert a torsional movement on the slide member l3 which is supported n the fixture ll. However, the rollers l5 and IS on the standard It; resist this torsional strain and permit the slide to operate very easily.

As shown in Figure 4', the doorway to the typewriter compartment is provided with a crosspiece or lintel 32 which is provided with a groove 33.

The typewriter platform is provided with a fixed upstanding cross-bar 34 which has at its top edge a tongue 35 to engage the groove 33 when the platform is moved to horizontal position. As pointed out in my PatentNo. 2,214,526 this type of connection helps to eliminate lateral movement and vibration of the platform. However, in

the present application, an improved clamping mechanism is provided.

A stud 36 is firmly secured to the lintel 32 by a bracket 31. As best shown in Figure 6, a bracket 38 is fixed to the platform 20 and is provided with a groove-like seat 39 to receive the stud 36 when the platform is moved to horizontal position. A hook-like latch member 40 is urged into latching engagement with the stud by means of a spring- H. The latch member is impaled by a rod 42 which has its rear end 43 bent upwardly and welded to the latch 40. The rod makes a pivotal connection with the bracket 38 and extends through the member 34 and is turned, as shown at 44, to provide an operating handle. Thus it will be seen that when the platform 20 is swung to extended horizontal position, the hook 40 will snap over the stud 36, and by pushing the handle M downwardly, the stud will be gripped against the seat in the bracket 38 and the platform will be gripped very firmly to the desk.

It will be understood that a typewriter may be firmly attached by screws to the platform 20 and the tension in'the spring 24 adjusted to counterbalance its weight. To return the typewriter to the compartment from writing position, it is merely necessary to lift the handle 44 upwardly, swing the typewriter down and hold it in depending vertical position while pushing it into the compartment enough to permit the latch 26 to engage. The typewriter will then be locked in vertical position and it may be retracted into the compartment.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

1. In a desk having a typewriter compartment: a metal supporting fixture fixed in the front of said compartment and provided with spaced rollers; a channel member slidably mounted for iongitudinal horizontal movement on said fixture, said channel member having at its rear end a standard provided at its lower end with a roller adapted to ride on the inner wall of the compartment and at its upper end with a roller positioned to ride on the outer surface of a vertically extending horizontal track; a typewriter platform hinged to the front portion of said channel member to swing laterally from a depending vertical position to a horizontal writing position; a catch on the platform; and a pivotal spring latch on the lower portion of said standard to engage said catch and secure the platform in depending position, said latch having an arm to engage a stop fixed to the desk and automatically disengage the latch when the channel member is extended from said compartment.

2.-Apparatus as specified in claim 1, including releasable means on the typewriter platform for clamping said platform firmly to the desk when the platform is in extended horizontal position.

3. In a desk having a typewriter compartment provided with a forwardly extending slide on which a typewriter platform is hingedly mounted, means for releasably clamping said platform to the front of said desk when in extended horizontal position comprising a stud on one of the members and a pivotally mounted hook provided with a manually operable crank on the other member, said hook having an inner cam-like surface to grip said stud and draw said members together rigidly.

4. In a desk having a typewriter compartment provided at its upper open end with a downwardly grooved crosspiece; a typewriter platform hinged to an extensible slide mounted in said compartment, said platform having near its rear edge a tongue to engage said grooved crosspiece when the platform is extended and swung to horizontal position; and means for clamping said platform to the crosspiece including a stud fixed to the desk, and an oscillatable hook on said platform having an inner cam-like surface to grip said stud and draw the platform upwardly.

5. A device as specified in claim 4, in which the platform has a fixed upwardly extending seat to receive the stud when it is gripped.

6. In a desk having a typewriter compartment provided with a forwardly extending slide on which a typewriter platform is hingedly mounted, means for releasably latching said platform in vertical depending position on said slide; means for automatically releasing said latching means when the slide is extended; and manually operable means for clamping the platform to said desk when said platform is moved to extended horizontal position.

7. A device as specified in claim 6, in which the manually operable clamping means includes a rearwardly extending stud fixedly mounted in the upper front portion of the typewriter compartment, and the platform has a hook latch to engage said stud and draw said platform upwardly.

MARTIN FOX. 

